There are many good reasons why some people, especially people who are overweight, should exercise or diet. People who are overweight are at higher risk of developing chronic medical conditions than people who maintain a healthy weight. Increased exercise and dieting by cutting back on calories are the simplest and most effective lifestyle changes for losing excess weight. Following a healthy diet and getting enough exercise every day is important for everyone who wants to stay healthy, not just for those who need to lose weight.
Significance
More than two-thirds, or 68 percent, of the American adult population is overweight or obese, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). A study reported in a 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association linked being overweight and obesity with increased death from diabetes and kidney disease and also linked obesity with significantly higher rates of death from cardiovascular disease and obesity-related cancers.
Function
A diet that reduces calories by about 500 a day will result in weight loss at a rate of about 1 pound a week. The more calories that are restricted, the faster the weight loss, but diets based on extreme calorie restriction can have serious effects on health, according to Penn State experts. Regular aerobic and strength training exercises not only burn excess calories and reduce body fat, but also help build up muscle tissue in the body. This helps contribute to further weight loss and fitness because muscle tissue burns calories more efficiently than fat tissue.
Features
Reducing calories and exercising at least 20 minutes a day are the simplest ways to lose weight, according to experts at Penn State-Hershey. These experts report that people who have lost at least 10 percent of their body weight and kept that weight off for more than one year exercise for an average of at least one hour each day and eat a low-fat, low-calorie diet, in addition to practicing other lifestyle habits such as eating breakfast every day and weighing themselves regularly and often.
Benefits
In addition to weight control, exercise helps improve flexibility, cardiovascular fitness, immune system and respiratory system functioning, psychological health, skin tone, sleeping habits and general quality of life, according to the University of Illinois McKinley Health Center. Exercise also helps control blood pressure and cholesterol levels and helps reduce the risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis and some types of cancer. At the same time, following a balanced, varied, calorie-controlled and individualized diet such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture's MyPyramid Plan will promote weight control and make similar contributions to overall health and well-being.
Considerations
As people age, metabolism slows down and it can be more difficult to maintain a healthy weight without additional exercise and attention to diet. Harvard University experts conclude that in order to stay healthy and live longer, it is important to do what you can to maintain a healthy weight.
References
- Weight Control Information Network/NIDDK: Statistics
- Journal of the American Medical Association: Cause-Specific Excess Deaths Associated with Underweight, Overweight and Obesity
- Penn State-Hershey: Weight Control and Diet
- University of Illinois McKinley Health Center: Benefits of Exercise
- Harvard School of Public Health: The Nutrition Source
Member Comments
lovecalifornia May 11
Tracking both my exercise and food with myplate, I begin to feel discouraged from exercising when every time I enter my exercise, it tells me to eat more. Is the calorie number it suggests for me a limit or a goal?
Sometimes I end up not reaching that calorie goal line because I eat the specified number of calories and then I record my exercise, which makes the bar dramatically drop.